“He’s eluded me for 18 years,” Woodson said on the NFL Network Tuesday. “It would be great. It would be even better if we could come out with the victory. But it would be great to get my hands on one of Peyton’s [throws].”

Woodson came into Sunday’s game with 62 career interceptions. But though Sunday was the fifth time he faced Manning in the past three seasons, none came against the future Hall of Famer. The two players were always linked, coming into the league the same season. Woodson famouslyupset Manning for the 1997 Heisman Trophy, after a season in which the former starred on offense, defense and special teams. (Some Tennessee fans blamed ESPN’s Chris Fowler for the snub – one sent him a box of manure – and hold a grudge against Fowler and Woodson to this day.)

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On Sunday, Woodson got his wish. With Denver at the Oakland nine-yard line, Manning’s pass for Owen Daniels went straight to Woodson in the end zone. It was just a warm-up act. Late in the third quarter, Woodson got his hands on one of Peyton’s throws again. He jumped in front of a pass intended for Demaryius Thomas on the sideline for career interception No 64.

“It took him 18 years,” Manning said. “Probably offsets the two TDs I threw on him last year. Call it a wash.” Manning could joke afterward despite throwing those two picks because the Broncos won, 16-10. But Manning went just 22-of-35 for 266 yards with no touchdowns.

Fortunately for him, things kept going right for the Broncos on Sunday. Sebastian Janikowski hadn’t missed a field goal or extra point all season. He had a 38-yard field goal blocked; he missed a go-ahead 40-yard wide right in the fourth. With the Raiders driving for a go-ahead score with seven minutes left, the Raiders ran dual crossing routes. Neither receiver was looking for the ball, and Chris Harris Jr intercepted Derek Carr’s pass and ran it back for a 74-yard touchdown. (Raiders fans reacted by flipping Harris the bird.)

The game was essentially over at that point. The Broncos won and are 5-0 for the second time in three seasons. This season is much different than their undefeated start in 2013. That year, Manning had a 136.4 rating: he’d thrown 20 touchdowns to just one interception. Denver was averaging 46 points a game.

This year, Manning has thrown interceptions in five straight games for the first time since 2007. His quarterback rating is just 80.8. He has six touchdowns and seven picks. The late-season decline of Peyton Manning last year has continued into this season. In the last five games of last season, including the divisional round playoff loss to the Colts, Manning threw just four TDs. He has 35 games of four or more touchdowns in his career. Before late last season, he’d thrown a touchdown in 51 straight games; twice this year he’s failed to throw one.

So what’s wrong? Before the season, NFL.com’s Albert Breer polled NFL personnel people about the league’s quarterbacks. Not one named Manning as the best QB in the league. Five starters ranked ahead of him. He was called “significantly diminished” and “immobile” and “limited”. NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger said of Manning: “When you watch some of these throws, you can’t believe it could possibly be the same guy.”

The Broncos have a new offense this year with head coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. But Peyton’s struggles predate this season. The Broncos are 5-0 on the strength of their defense: 14 turnovers, 22 sacks, three touchdowns. None of Denver’s wins have been easy; all except a 24-12 victory over Detroit have been one-score games. The Broncos are 5-0. If they win in Cleveland next week, they’ll be 6-0 going into the bye.

But despite their gaudy record, the Broncos don’t look like a Super Bowl contender so far this year. Peyton Manning may need to find a fountain of youth.

Quote of the week

I snapped it. I’ve got to get a different one

Rex Ryan gave his team “YES SIR” wristbands this week, a message that those were the only words his players were to say to officials after penalties. In other words: Don’t mouth off to the refs.

The wristbands were tested on the opening kickoff, when a Bishop Sankey muff led to the Titans starting the game at their own two-yard line. But the Bills were offside on the kickoff, which meant they had to rekick. Ryan snapped his wristband in anger.

The Bills trailed 10-0 midway through the third quarter, but Tyrod Taylor ran for one TD and threw the game-winner with 5:25 left in the game.

Stat of the week

2 – Aaron Rodgers didn’t remember the last time he threw an interception at Lambeau Field before Sunday. Minnesota’s Harrison Smith picked off Rodgers on a flea flicker on 2 December 2012. “That’s what it was?” Rodgers told ESPN this summer. “Shouldn’t have called that play.”

Rodgers threw two interceptions, his first at home since the one in Week 13 of the 2012 season. In the first quarter, James Laurinaitis dove and caught a Rodgers pass that was tipped at the line. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson dove to catch another in the second.

“It was fun. I’ll have to start a new one,” Rodgers said postgame. “I figured I might as well break the streak with a couple interceptions today.” Rodgers completed 19-of-30 passes for two touchdowns and the two picks. He also led Green Bay on the ground, with 39 yards rushing to Eddie Lacy’s 13.

Fantasy player of the week

In his rookie year, Doug Martin had 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s been an oft-mentioned fantasy bust ever since. In 2013 and 2014, he played just 17 games. He had just two games with more than 100 yards rushing. People who drafted him the past two seasons have been disappointed.

He’s now gone over 100 yards in consecutive weeks. Against a good Jacksonville run defense, Martin had 123 yards rushing and two scores. He also caught three passes, including a touchdown. That made him the highest-scoring running back or wide receiver in standard scoring fantasy leagues.

How the Patriots cheated this week

New England was coming off a bye week, giving them an unfair two weeks to prepare for a Dallas Cowboys team now quarterbacked by Brandon Weeden. As such, they held Dallas to just 264 yards, picked off Weeden once and beat the Cowboys 30-6. Giving the Patriots two weeks to prepare for a Cowboys team decimated by injuries may not technically be illegal, but the NFL should avoid it. It’s just not fair.

Gif of the week

Sam Bradford threw two first-half interceptions in the red zone on Sunday, but he eventually got off the schneid thanks to a 41-yard TD pass to Josh Huff. Two Saints defenders had collided on the play, and there was no one close to Huff as he approached the end zone. So he did what any NFL player would do to celebrate his first touchdown: he did a front-flip as he crossed the line.

Though this caused some consternation among Philadelphia sportswriters. It reminded them of DeSean Jackson, who once fumbled the ball on the one-yard line while celebrating what would have been a touchdown. But nothing bad happened because of Huff’s flip, and it ended up being the first of four Philadelphia touchdowns on the day.

Elsewhere around the league

Matthew Stafford was benched on Sunday but he is still the team’s starter. Photograph: Tim Fuller/USA Today Sports

— Matthew Stafford threw a first-quarter touchdown pass to Theo Riddick in Sunday’s game against the Cardinals in Detroit. It was one of his lone highlights on the day. Stafford also threw three interceptions, and was removed in favor of Dan Orlovsky in Arizona’s 42-17 win. He has eight interceptions against six touchdowns this year.

But Lions coach Jim Caldwell says Stafford will go back to starting next week. “It’s like a pitcher not having a very good day,” Jim Caldwell told reporters afterward. “If the pitcher comes out, the pitcher is still the starter. He’s still our starter … there’s no quarterback controversy or anything of that nature.”

Detroit are 0-5, a year after going 11-5 and losing in the first round of the playoffs only due to a late Dallas Cowboys’ rally. Calvin Johnson has just one touchdown and no games with more than 100 yards. A Detroit columnist said the team quit on Sunday. It’s five weeks in, and already a lost season for the Lions.

— Dion Lewis hadn’t played in a regular season game since 2012 before this season. He spent 2013 on injured reserve with a broken leg and was cut by Cleveland before last season. Naturally, Bill Belichick has turned him into a productive player this year. The 2011 Eagles fifth-round pick rushed just six times for 34 yards, but caught five passes for 59 yards and a score in which he somehow avoided several Cowboys defenders after making a one-handed catch.

Though Lewis took a backseat to LeGarrette Blount in the run game, he was targeted 11 times by Tom Brady. He has 30 targets through four games – third on the team, just three behind Rob Gronkowski. Bill Belichick has reached into his magic hat again and pulled out a running back.

— Eli Manning didn’t have Odell Beckham Jr or Rueben Randle at the start of the Giants’ final drive on Sunday night. It didn’t matter. He scrambled for 11 yards. He hit Shane Vereen for three big gains. And, after a 49ers interception was overturned by replay and Beckham re-entered the game (if only as a decoy), Manning hit Larry Donnell in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown to complete the comeback win. The Giants are 3-2 after the 30-27 win over the 49ers, and are the surprising NFC East leaders after nearly a third of the season.

Eli is Gallant and Peyton is Goofus this season: Eli has now through 10 touchdown passes to just two interceptions this year. He completed 41 of 54 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns against San Francisco. The 2-3 Eagles host the Giants next Monday night.

— The most surprising undefeated team has to be the 5-0 Falcons. Atlanta needed overtime to beat Washington this week, winning when Robert Alford returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown. (He’d previously given up a costly pass interference penalty.) It was a wild finish: Devonta Freeman’s touchdown run with 24 seconds left looked like it ended it, but Kirk Cousins led Washington to a field goal to send the game to OT. Freeman was a monster on Sunday, rushing 27 times for 153 yards and a score and catching seven passes for 44 yards.

Their wins have not all been impressive – four have been comebacks against teams in the NFC East – but the schedule lines up nicely for the Falcons. The next three weeks feature games against the Saints, Titans and Buccaneers. Atlanta finished 6-10 last year; the third-place schedule and Matt Ryan’s 65% completion rate have the team looking at a solid playoff seed.

— The Bengals are another undefeated team that’s eeked out some close ones: They beat the Charges by six and needed an 80-yard TD catch by A.J. Green to beat the Ravens. Sunday, though, was their finest comeback of the year. Down 17 to Seattle, Cincinnati scored the final 20 points of the game to win in overtime, 27-24. (Mike Nugent’s game-winning field goal clanked off the left upright and in.) Tyler Eifert caught a pair of TDs in the comeback win.

Andy Dalton now has 1,515 yards, 11 touchdowns already this season. He also has just two picks. Cincinnati have two tough road games coming up (against Buffalo and Pittsburgh) but the hot start bodes well: the Bengals have lost in the wildcard round in four straight years. They could skip it entirely with a bye this year if the offense keeps this up.